It
was almost two years ago when T-Mobile quietly unveiled the first
Android phone in the U.S., the G1. The design of the device was a bit
cumbersome, and Android 1.0 was buggy, to say the least. However, the
G1 was one of the first handsets that supported T-Mobile's burgeoning
3G network and introduced Google's new OS. After weeks
of speculation, T-Mobile officially announced the G1's follow-up,
aptly called the G2, this morning.

As
you may know, the G2 is the first device designed specifically for
T-Mobile's "4G-like" HSPA+ network. There has been much
debate about the accuracy of T-Mobile's 4G label, because
HSPA+ is more akin to 3.5G, rather than true 4G technology
like Verizon's
LTE and Sprint's
WiMax.

“T-Mobile
ignited the spark that set the Android world ablaze two years ago
with the launch of the world’s first Android-powered mobile phone,
the T-Mobile G1, which remains an important milestone for both
T-Mobile and the Android operating system,” said T-Mobile Chief
Technology Officer Cole Brodman in
a press release. “Now, with the launch of the T-Mobile G2,
we are re-teaming with our partners at Google and HTC to provide
T-Mobile customers with another first — the first Android
smartphone designed to deliver 4G speeds on our new network.”

The
G2 will sport Android 2.2 out of the box and is "tightly
integrated with Google" services like Google Voice, Google
Goggles, and Voice Actions. It will not run Sense UI, or any other
proprietary skin for that matter, so Android updates should come to
the device quickly.

The
G2 features a 3.7" AMOLED screen, sliding QWERTY keyboard, 5MP
camera with flash, 720p video, 4GB of internal memory with an 8GB
micro-SD card pre-installed (support for up to 32GB), and "Dedicated
Quick Keys for one-touch access to your favorite Google shortcuts and
applications."

T-Mobile
has not announced a specific release date, but has launched an
official page for the device, which promises: "Current
T-Mobile customers will get exclusive access to pre-order the G2
starting later this month.

So
there you have it. As usual, the nation's fourth-largest carrier is
seemingly playing catch-up with the competition. The HSPA+ capability
of the G2 is nice if you are in one of the 55 major metropolitan
areas that carries it. But the device is hard-pressed to hold its own
against other full-QWERTY Android devices like Sprint's
Epic 4G, or the Droid
2 from Verizon.

Comments

Threshold

Username

Password

remember me

This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled

[Most wives probly do enjoy watchin their man get phukkt once in a while] !!

With that said: 1. I do apologize, but when the pins are set that straight someones gotta throw the bowlin ball.

2. On the possibility you are a sys admin/special ops instructor with the ability to find my ip number and hurt me 1000 diff ways ==I AM SO SORRY.

3. I agree with your sentiments concerning the 800mhz. Which brings the next question...

I do realize that ARM is a fabless chip design house from England and snapdragon is (I believe Qualcomm???) based on ARM. The other major chip in phones is TI who also licenses ARM. (blah bllah blah just so you know that I know)

IS THAT 800MHZ MSM7x30 AN ARM CHIP?? Because an 800mhz ARM I'll take over a 1.2Mhz not based on ARM anyday. Indeed I would prefer a TI/ARM over a (Qualcomm??)/ARM or any other ***/ARM.

To anyone who can answer that last question, THANKYOU.To quiksilvr, thanx for NOT hurting/killing me.